Gold-plated sales don't guarantee Grammys glory

7:54 AM,
Jan. 21, 2014

Written by

Brian Mansfield, Special for USA TODAY

The Grammy Awards aren't supposed to directly reflect commercial success, though there's usually a pretty strong correlation. But every year's nominations offer a few surprises.

Justin Timberlake, for instance, had 2013's top-selling album with The 20/20 Experience and picked up seven nominations. Yet Sara Bareilles' The Blessed Unrest got nominated for album of the year and The 20/20 Experience didn't, even though Timberlake's album outsold Bareilles' 10 to 1 (2.44 million vs. 245,000, according to Nielsen SoundScan).